Title 15 — Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73not60

§715g Refusal of Carrier to Accept Shipment Without Certificate of Clearance; Certificate as Justifying Acceptance of Shipment

Title 15 › Chapter 15A— INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS › § 715g

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

If a shipping company won't take oil or oil products because the shipper did not give a required clearance certificate, or because the carrier has a reasonable reason to think the oil is illegal, the carrier cannot be sued or fined for refusing to take it. A carrier also won't be punished if it relies on a clearance certificate that looks valid and was issued by the proper board, as long as the carrier had no reasonable reason to think the certificate was fake. And if a shipment comes from an area where no certificate is required, the carrier won't be penalized so long as it had no reasonable reason to believe the oil was illegal.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §715g

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

No common carrier who shall refuse to accept petroleum or petroleum products from any area in which certificates of clearance are required under authority of this chapter, by reason of the failure of the shipper to deliver such a certificate to such carrier, or who shall refuse to accept any petroleum or petroleum products when having reasonable ground for believing that such petroleum or petroleum products constitute contraband oil, shall be liable on account of such refusal for any penalties or damages. No common carrier shall be subject to any penalty under section 715e of this title in any case where (1) such carrier has a certificate of clearance which on its face appears to be valid and to have been issued by a board created under authority of section 715d of this title, certifying that the shipment in question is not contraband oil, and such carrier had no reasonable ground for believing such certificate to be invalid or to have been issued as a result of fraud or misrepresentation of fact, or (2) such carrier, as respects any shipment originating in any area where certificates of clearance are not required under authority of this chapter, had no reasonable ground for believing such petroleum or petroleum products to constitute contraband oil.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 715g

Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60